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Organizational Learning Theory

Humans have attempted to learn more about their surroundings by breaking a complex whole down into individual components for hundreds of years. This is what the scientific method is all about-break a problem into pieces and study them. However, some problems cannot be divided into components-when each component depends on each of the others, they cannot be separated and accurately studied. This is the idea behind systems thinking and organizational learning theory. Focused on the "primacy of the whole," systems thinking attempts to capture the cyclic and interdependent relationships between components.

Feedback Loops

This is not to suggest that one can merely "try harder" and therefore understand a complex problem as a whole. An interdependent system must still be broken down into smaller, more easily understood parts-if for no other reason than to provide a picture we're capable of focusing on. The feedback loop is such a focal point in systems theory. Instead of taking a fragmented snapshot of a relationship, feedback loops read like a flip-book of interactions, (Larsen, McInerney, Nyquist, Santos, & Silsbee, 1996). It ...

Solution Summary

Illustrates the use of feedback loops-- both balancing and feedback-- in the terms of National Presto Industries. Provides resources to help identify specific examples of each in the context of NPI. 6 Page paper in APA format with references.